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Biography

I pay close and sustained attention to place and the movement of life - particularly in relation to the earth and what we label 'the natural environment'.

My process requires full engagement on all levels: physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual. Although it might serve a particular social or environmental theme, the underlying motivation is always to align and come into balance with life all around - and to share my experience with others.

I like to to immerse myself in my surroundings, and allow the work to develop naturally, in response to a given situation. Focusing on my immediate surroundings moment by moment is a way of reconnecting with the earth, and fostering a sense of being at home in the world.

All projects, of course, require planning and organisation, to a greater or lesser degree.. Large-scale sculptural installations most often involve earth materials (wood, stone, soil etc.), and can be combined with manufactured material: a fusion of nature and culture. In some cases, people participate in the work, perhaps in a form of ritualistic walking - or perhaps by helping with construction, as in my B10 labyrinth event for the North Devon UNESCO Biosphere anniversary, 2013.

Recently, my main focus has shifted more and more towards a smaller-scale, more transient approach to work - though my general themes and preoccupations remain the same. This development involves short-lived sculptural works alongside photography and other media. It is, in fact, a way of working that I have always pursued privately, but has gradually become more prominent and public. It has evolved into much more widely disseminated outcomes, often online.

Other threads in my practice are my small low-key art walks and workshops, designed to encourage intuitive responses to the environment through arts activity. These developed out of my Essential Nature project back in June 2010. They are a way of sharing my concerns and techniques, and have led to a number of people taking up their own creative practices, and some to continue walking with me on an informal, word-of mouth basis.

I aim for simplicity in all my work, which allows freedom of interpretation and can often shed light on current concerns, globally or within my immediate locality.

My practice overall is anchored in the exploration of 'place' moment by moment; and of being here, now.